Latest / A Chapter a Day Bible Reading / October 20 - Romans 11

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October 20 - Romans 11 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends, it's Sean here it is the 20th of October.
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  It's a Monday and you have chosen this moment to pause
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  whatever is going on in your day and say, hey, Sean, let us read
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  a chapter of the Bible. And so that's what we're going
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  to do. In fact, this is the last week
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  that we're going to spend the whole week in the book of Romans
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  and next week for wrap up Romans and begin reading through James.
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  Oh, so much to look forward to. But that's next week.
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  This week we are going to sit down with Paul as the Holy
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  Spirit uses him to communicate these profound truths, truths
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  about his Kingdom and about what Jesus has won for us, sharing
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  that with his community. So let us dive in head first,
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  Holy Spirit, open up our hearts so that we can hear Your truth
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  shared with us from you today. Let's do it friends.
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  Let's read together. Romans Chapter 11.
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  I ask then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of
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  Israel? Of course not.
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  I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a
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  member of the tribe of Benjamin. No, God has not rejected His own
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  people, whom He chose from the very beginning.
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  Do you realise what the Scriptures say about this?
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  Elijah the prophet complained to God about the people of Israel
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  and said, Lord, they've killed your prophets and torn down your
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  altars. I'm the only one left and now
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  they're trying to kill me too. And do you remember God's reply?
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  He said no, I have 7000 others who have never bowed down to
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  bow. It is the same today, for a few
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  of the people of Israel have remained faithful because of
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  God's grace, his undeserved kindness in choosing them.
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  And since it is through God's kindness, then it is not by
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  their good works, for in that case God's grace would not be
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  what it really is, free and undeserved.
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  So this is a situation most of the people of Israel have not
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  found the favour of God they are looking for so earnestly.
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  A few have the ones God has chosen, but the hearts of the
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  rest were hardened. As the Scriptures say.
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  God has put them into a deep sleep to this day.
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  He has shut their eyes so they do not see and close their ears
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  so they do not hear. Likewise, David said, let their
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  bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all
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  is well. Let their blessings cause them
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  to stumble and let them get what they deserve.
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  Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs
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  be bent forever. Did God's people stumble and
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  fall beyond recovery? Of course not.
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  They were disobedient. So God made salvation available
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  to the Gentiles, but He wanted all his own people to become
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  jealous and claim it for themselves.
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  Now, if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of
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  Israel turned down God's offer of salvation, think how much
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  greater a blessing the world will share when they finally
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  accept it. I'm saying all this especially
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  for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the
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  apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, for I want
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  somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you
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  Gentiles have, so I might save some of them.
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  For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to
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  the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more
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  wonderful. It will be life for those who
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  are dead. And since Abraham and the other
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  patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy,
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  Just as the entire batch of dough is holy, because the
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  portion given as an offering is holy.
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  For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be too.
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  But some of these branches from Abraham's tree, some of the
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  people of Israel, have been broken off.
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  And you, Gentiles who were branches from a wild olive tree
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  have been grafted in. So now you also received the
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  blessing God has promised Abraham and his children,
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  sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God's special
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  olive tree. But you must not brag about
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  being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off.
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  You are just a branch, not the root.
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  Well, you may say those branches are broken off to make room for
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  me. Yes, But remember, those
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  branches are broken off because they didn't believe in Christ,
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  and you are there because you do believe.
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  So don't think highly of yourself, but fear what could
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  happen. For if God did not spare the
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  original branches, He won't spare you either.
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  Notice how God is both kind and severe.
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  He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if
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  you continue to trust in His kindness.
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  But if you stop trusting, you will also be cut off.
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  And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will
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  be grafted in again, for God is the power to graft them back
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  into the tree. You by nature were a branch cut
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  from a wild olive tree, so if God was willing to do something
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  contrary to nature by grafting you into this cultivated tree,
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  He will be far more eager to graft the original branches back
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  into the tree where they belong. I want you to understand this
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  mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you will not
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  feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel
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  have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number
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  of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved,
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  as the Scriptures say. The one who rescues will come
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  from Jerusalem, and he will turn Israel away from ungodliness.
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  And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away
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  their sins. Many of the people of Israel are
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  now enemies of the good news, but this benefits you Gentiles.
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  Yet they are still the people He loves, because He chose their
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  ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for God's gift, and His
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  call can never be withdrawn. Once you Gentiles were rebels
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  against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against Him,
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  God was merciful to you instead. Now they are the rebels, and
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  God's mercy has come to you so that they too will share in
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  God's mercy. For God has imprisoned everyone
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  in disobedience so He could have mercy on everyone.
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  Oh, how great are God's riches and wisdom and knowledge.
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  How impossible it is for us to understand His decisions and His
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  ways. For who can know the Lord's
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  thoughts? Who knows enough to give him
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  advice? And who has given Him so much
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  that he needs to pay it back? For everything comes from Him
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  and exists by His power and is intended for His glory.
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  All glory to Him forever. Amen.
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  Oh Jesus, you are steadfast and true and truly unchanging.
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  Here in this reading we hear about your promises.
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  Generations before that, Israel would always be your people.
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  And even though they turned their backs on you and walked
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  away from you time and time again, and even though they
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  rejected you as their Saviour, you continued to be for them,
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  doing whatever you could to draw them back to you.
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  You are a faithful and good God. And when you make a promise, you
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  keep it for generations and generations stretching into the
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  future. So, Jesus, we just claim the
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  promises that you have made for us, promises that we are in you
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  and in your love made whole again.
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  And you're promised that no matter how corrupted or broken
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  we are, it's in you that we can always find our wholeness, and
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  that when we stand before our Father, there you are, standing
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  with us, your perfection covering us.
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  Oh, you're a good God. You are a faithful God.
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  And we thank you for your love and your goodness to us.
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  And we pray all of this through your precious saving name,
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  Jesus. Amen.